Message from the President
What a remarkable community of alumni! That’s what I think every time I read Bench & Bedside — and this issue is no exception. Since my term as President concludes shortly, this is my final letter to my fellow alumni introducing Bench & Bedside — but I look forward to staying in touch with all of you — and look forward to keeping up via the pages of this magazine.
Our cover story focuses on some remarkable graduates of the Stanford School of Nursing. Though the school closed 27 years ago, the exceptional women who attended are still at work shaping the present and future of health care. You’ll meet a few nurse-leaders in Clara Barton Lived Here who will remind you how nurses bring a unique constellation of skills to the table.
Another feature story dives into the journey MD/MBAs pursue — and what adventures and surprises await them. Here’s some related news that makes this story even more interesting: U.S. News & World Report released their rankings in early March. Stanford University School of Medicine moved from 11 to 5 (tied with Duke, Yale, and UCSF). As Dean Pizzo points out, while the leap from 11 to 5 is gratifying, it’s not because we’re doing anything differently. It’s because U.S. News & World Report has adjusted its metrics on research funding, now measuring amount of funding per faculty member or principal investigator, as opposed to relying only on total NIH funding per institution, which disadvantages smaller schools like ours. Meanwhile, Stanford University Graduate School of Business stayed in its No. 1 position, but the GSB’s tie partner in recent years (Harvard) moved down to No. 2. With two highly ranked programs, the joint MD/MBA appears more compelling than ever.
Finally, whenever I talk with alumni at events, one subject comes up again and again — the outstanding Stanford faculty and how they influence our careers and lives. In this issue, we profile a true master teacher-of-teachers, Dr. Kelley Skeff. There are a couple of generations of us who owe much
to Dr. Skeff, and as you’ll read in the story, his work is having an impact around the world. We invite you to consider a gift to honor Dr. Skeff or another talented teacher who meant a lot to you during your time as a Stanford University Medical Center student. You’ll find information about that opportunity between pages 20 and 21 in this issue. Pay it forward, as the expression goes.
Best regards,
William D. Rhine, MD '84